Lesson: Cyberbullying: Crossing the Line (6-8)

Warm-up (10 minutes)

ASK: What are some of the ways that you and your friends tease each other online for fun?
Sample responses:

• Send jokes back and forth
• Alter photos of one another, in a goofy (not mean) way

ASK: When does teasing “cross the line” and become harmful? What are some signs, and what does it feel like to be in that situation?
Sample responses:

• The teasing begins to feel scary, not funny anymore.
• You feel helpless.
• You feel like your reputation might suffer.
• You are worried about your safety.

ASK students if they have ever heard of the the Key Vocabulary terms harassing, deceiving, flaming, and hate speech. Have students describe the terms, and then provide their definitions.

POINT OUT to students that these are examples of situations that definitely “cross the line” and are considered cyberbullying. (However, they are not the only examples.)

DISCUSS with students why someone might not want to talk to other people about a cyberbullying situation. What would the roadblocks be? Why? Emphasize to students that, no matter what label they put on a situation, if it makes them feel uncomfortable, upset, or hurt, they should talk to someone about it.

Stacey's Story (15 minutes)

EXPLAIN that you are going to watch a video of a teen reflecting on a cyberbullying experience.

SHOW students the video “Stacey’s Story – When Rumors Escalate.”

DIVIDE students into groups of four or five.

DISTRIBUTE copies of the Cyberbullying: Crossing the Line Student Discussion Guide to each student, and have students discuss the Video Discussion Questions in their small groups.

ENGAGE students in a full-class discussion about their responses to the Video Discussion Questions. Refer to the Cyberbullying: Crossing the Line Student Discussion Guide – Teacher Version for guidance.

POINT OUT that it can be hard to judge someone’s intentions online. Let students know that no matter how a message is sent, words used with the intention of hurting someone are taken very seriously by schools, parents, and even the police. Let students know that they should tell trusted adults if they observe or are involved in cyberbullying, and that they must report it to the school, their parents, or other trusted adults when someone has threatened to hurt someone else.

Case Study Analysis (15 minutes)

HAVE each group read and discuss the case study that you selected from the student handout (Case Study 1, “Attacked from All Sides” or Case Study 2, “Election Sabotage”).

ENGAGE students in a full-class discussion about their responses to the case study questions. Refer to the Cyberbullying: Crossing the Line Student Discussion Guide – Teacher Version for guidance.

POINT OUT that it can be hard to judge someone’s intentions online. Let students know that no matter how a message is sent, words used with the intention of hurting someone are taken very seriously by schools, parents, and even the police. Let students know that they should tell trusted adults if they observe or are involved in cyberbullying, and that they must report it to the school, their parents, or other trusted adults when someone has threatened to hurt someone else.

Wrap-up (5 minutes)

You can use these questions to assess your students’ understanding of the lesson objectives. You may want to ask students to reflect in writing on one of the questions, using a journal or an online blog/wiki.

ASK: What does it feel like when a teasing situation “crosses the line” from harmless to harmful?
When teasing no longer feels funny and starts to feel upsetting or scary, then students should start taking it seriously. People can feel helpless, ganged up on, worried about their reputation, worried about their safety, etc.

ASK: What are some different forms of cyberbullying?
Sample responses:

• Harassment, which feels virtually impossible to escape
• Deception, because it is dishonest to impersonate someone else, and it can damage their reputation
• Flaming, because of the extreme and cruel language
• Hate speech, which is discriminatory, and very damaging to someone’s reputation

ASK: What advice would you give to someone who feels cyberbullied?
Talk to friends about what you are going through. Tell an adult you trust, especially if you feel you are being flamed, deceived, harassed, are the target of hate speech.

EXTENSION ACTIVITY

Students brainstorm about an anonymous reporting system. Tell them that most kids say they would report cyberbullying if they did not have to identify themselves. Ask students to brainstorm ways for students to anonymously report cyberbullying at school. Have them make an action plan for dealing with the problem and a proposal for convincing administrators, teachers, students, and parents to get involved.

AT-HOME ACTIVITY

Have students interview family members about a time when they might have felt that someone “crossed the line” from teasing to harassment. How did they respond to the incident? What do they wish they had done  differently? What advice can they share? (Students can use a smartphone’s voice recorder, a laptop’s microphone, or download the free audio editor Audacity to capture the interview(s)).

AT-HOME ACTIVITY

Students brainstorm about an anonymous reporting system. Tell them that most kids say they would report cyberbullying if they did not have to identify themselves. Ask students to brainstorm ways for students to anonymously report cyberbullying at school. Have them make an action plan for dealing with the problem and a proposal for convincing administrators, teachers, students, and parents to get involved.